Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (website currently being rebuilt) is a book for book lovers on several levels. Firstly, you would have to be a confident and enthusiastic reader to tackle the 540+ page story. It also doesn’t set off at a rip-roaring pace like many modern books. Cornelia spends some time developing the characters and the back story before finally plunging Meggie and Mo into mortal danger at the hands of the evil Capricorn and his henchmen.

The story hinges around books, readers and writers, giving some wonderful insights into the author’s own love of literature, some of the arts of writing and the physical act of putting together a book. Mo (short for Mortimer) is a book doctor who restores old books. He also has a rather special and dangerous talent. When he reads aloud, people from the stories come to life … literally. Unfortunately, for every person or creature that he reads out from the pages, so someone or something from our world must slip into the book to maintain balance.

If it’s action, action, action you want, then this is probably not the book for you. However, as an avid reader I found the whole premise of the story fascinating and I’ve been a fan of Cornelia’s writing for some time now (ever since I read Dragonrider to my daughter some years back.)

If you’re teetering on the brink and not sure if you would like the book, why not watch the film. My daughter pulled a role reversal on me here, by not sending the dvd through the monster mail system until she was sure I’d read the book first. The film doesn’t quite follow the story of the book, but brings out and amplifies many of the key action scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed both versions of the story. Here’s the official trailer:

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